Introduction
The first-class cricket set-up in Pakistan is an organisational mess. No other country has organisations, public institutions and banks etc playing in the main domestic competitions. This adversely impacts public interest in the competitions - no one really cares whether Pakistan International Airlines beat Pakistan Customs or vice versa.

In addition, the various competitions have undergone many changes over recent years, with a new structure being introduced in the current (2004/05) season too. I will try and explain the current structure as simply as I can, and will not make any comparisons to how things were previously.

Competitions

1. Quaid-e-Azam Trophy
This is the main first-class league tournament, where teams from the various regions of the country participate in four day matches. Eleven teams participate in this, with each team playing the others once, hence a total of ten matches per team. At the end of the tournament, the top two teams play a Final.

The latest points table for 2004/05 can be seen here

The champions last year were Faisalabad. Peshawar, the current year leaders, are led by Test discard Wajahatllah Wasti (6 Tests, 329 runs, avg: 37), and has young fast bowling hopefuls Waqar Ahmed (in WAT A team), Riaz Afridi (recent Test debutant) and Fazl-e-Akbar (Test discard), as well as former Test off-spinner Arshad Khan.

2. PCB Patrons’ Trophy
This is where departmental teams play each other, ie nationalized institutions, banks and public bodies, in four day first-class matches.

The 2004/05 tournament will commence in Feb 2005, after the Q-A trophy has concluded.

Last year, the teams were divided into two pools; Pool A had seven teams (one ‘guest’ member was Bangladesh A), whilst Pool B had six teams. Each team played the other once, with the winner of each pool contesting a final.

During the 2003/04 tournament, the final Pool A ranking were as follows: Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), Pakistan Customs, Bangladesh A, Defence Housing Authority (DHA).

The Pool B rankings were: Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited, Allied Bank Limited, National Bank of Pakistan, Habib Bank Limited, Karachi Port Trust and Sui Gas Corporation of Pakistan.

The final was thus between WAPDA (the national electricity company) and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited, and was won by the Bank. The Bank’s team was led by new ODI debutant Rao Iftikhar Anjum, a medium pacer, and included Test regular Abdur Razzaq.

3. One-day competitions
The teams participating in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy also participate in the Quaid-e-Azam Cup, a one-day competition. Simply, the teams in the Patrons’ Trophy also play in the Patrons’ Cup, a one-day competition.

Summary
The two main competitions are interlayed with each other, so all players play for a regional team (eg Karachi Whites) in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for the three months of the season, and then for a departmental team in the next tournament (Patrons' Trophy) for the other 3-4 months.

Verdict
This first-class set-up clearly does not encourage crowd participation, and does not get much at all, especially in the Patrons’ Trophy. It also does not encourage teaming when everyone plays for two different teams, with two different sets of team-mates, each season.

Some historical perspective
This bizarre set-up exists because historically people did not watch domestic cricket, and no one would buy its TV rights. So there were not enough funds in domestic cricket for it to sustain itself and the players on a professional basis. Many decades ago, the way around this was to get all the players in domestic cricket employed by nationalised organisations, eg the Banks, the State Utility companies, the PIA (airlines) etc. This way, the players were employed, received monthly salaries dependent on their grade in the public organisation, and thus had a secure income and could play cricket full-time for six months. The other six months they had various jobs in the nationalised organisations, often to promote or manage sport.

Current changes
Now, in the multi-channel world, TV and sponsorship money is being invested into the domestic game. PCB is actively marketing the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, the regional based tournament, and has secured a lucrative TV deal with Ten Sports as well as a sponsorship deal with ABN AMRO, the Dutch bank.

The way forward
Pakistan's domestic set-up is definitely the weakest in all the countries. There are some things that can and should be changed in the short-term.

Mismanagement is rife in PCB; most of it is not wilful corruption, but more along the lines of political infighting, jockeying for position and lack of professional nous. Though admittedly, Pakistan is by no means alone in this and is probably better off than the Indian board. In my view, simply sorting out this mismanagement and politics, which does not require a lot of money, only the political and managerial will, will reap dividends.

The current PCB Chairman, Shehryar Khan, a former top diplomat, has taken some very encouraging steps. A recent interview with Khan can be read here. He does say some very encouraging and sensible things about the domestic cricket structure, the role of the “departments”, the future of the regional teams, and so on, and I would recommend the interview for anyone keen to acquaint themselves with the future direction of Pakistan cricket.

Club cricket
There is a vibrant, informal and ad-hoc club cricket network in Pakistan. It is not a system, but a loose, un-coordinated network. Generally, there are no professional coaches, no official funds, but club cricket exists at all levels, played everywhere, in grounds and stadia, but also on the streets, in fields, in backyards, in garages, and in people's houses.

Stop Press (From Andy Mellon)

As of April 2005, Pakistan have introduced a 20:20 style competition to help introduce some interest amongst the populace in the domestic competitions. The competition was hit by controversy when Shoaib Malik effectively threw a match in protest against a prior match result. The teams competing were:

Karachi Dolphins
Lahore Eagles
Faisalabad Wolves
Peshawar Panthers
Sialkot Stallions
Rawalpindi Rams
Hyderabad Hawks
Multan Tigers
Quetta Bears
Lahore Lions
Karachi Zebras

__________________
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes
Mark Twain